The Three Soldiers of Destiny.
by Logan4
Summary: The war between Shinra and Wutai nears it's end. The final battle is about to be waged, one which will influence the destinies of those warriors involoved in their planet's future...
1. Dire Straits.

Chapter 1: Dire Straits.  
  
"Sir, the FAC list from yesterday's battle is in". The Shinra soldier cautiously lifted aside the flap of the blood-red tent and poked his head inside, careful not to intrude too much lest the Commander was in one of his more temperamental moods. FAC stood for Fatalities And Casualties- it was a list comprised of all the injured and dead soldiers in any particular battle. In this case, the bloody conflict between the Wutai and Shinra armies was the subject of the macabre collection of names.  
  
"Sir, are you in here?", the soldier questioned, casting a quick view around the darkened interior of the tent. The Commander's jet black cloak made in extremely hard for him to be seen whenever the light was bad, and the fact that it was night time, and that the tent lacked any kind of light source ensured that the Commander could have been sitting 5 feet in front of the soldier and he still wouldn't have seen him. As it was, a voice from the far reaches of the tent revealed his position. "Enter".  
  
Even when granted the Commander's permission the soldier was still reluctant to enter- the man was just too damn creepy for his liking. Regardless, he made his way towards the source of the voice and began to recite his message, "Uh, the FAC list from yes.."  
  
"I heard you the first time. Give me the figures immediately".  
  
He placed emphasis on the word "immediately", prompting the soldier to hastily inform him of the details of the yesterday's encounter with the Wutai army. This was the last man on earth you wanted to annoy.  
  
"153 dead. 246 injured. Dr. Kazuyuki also wishes to inform you that medical supplies are running low, and most of our restorative materia has been lost to the enemy in battle. He asks that you send a request to Midgar for both new troops and fresh supplies. Otherwise he won't be able to treat what little survivors are left".  
  
"I'll take that into consideration. Now, is there anything else?".  
  
"No. Nothing else". The soldier fervently hoped that the Commander would dismiss him- he didn't want to stay in this tent any longer than absolutely necessary. He breathed a deep sigh of relief when the reply came...  
  
"Very well. Leave me be." The soldier saluted, then immediately turned and hurried towards the exit, only too glad to leave. In his haste, he cracked his knee off a nearby table. Cursing under his breath, he wondered just how the Commander could find his way around in near pitch blackness. "He must have excellent vision", he thought, then pushed aside the flap of the tent and stepped into the awaiting darkness.  
  
Back in the tent, the Commander returned to his reflective meditations. The deaths of the soldiers did not bother him- the only thing he was worried about was whether or not he would have a sufficient number of healthy men left to continue the battle against Wutai in the coming days. Powerful as he was, he couldn't win the war by himself, and his victory relied on the state of his troops when the battle finally began, much as he hated to admit it. Even with his strength and his materia, the enemy's sheer numbers would eventually overwhelm him.  
  
For several minutes, he considered placing the request for more troops and supplies, but every time he reached for the nearby PHS, his overwhelming sense of pride prevented him from making the call. This was his first command position- asking for help from Midgar would be like admitting that he had failed. Then again, if he single-handedly lost the war because he was too proud to ask for assistance...  
  
After many hours of inner conflict, he reached for the PHS and punched in the number which would connect him to Heidegger's personal line. A gruff and arrogant voice answered: "Sephiroth. This better be important. I'm in the middle of something right now". As Heidegger finished his sentence, Sephiroth could hear a female laugh in the background, more than one female laugh if he heard correctly. Heidegger was busy all right.  
  
"Don't worry. I won't interrupt your after-hour activities for much longer". Sephiroth's voice was harsh as he replied. After all, here he was trying to wage a war, and Heidegger was too busy with his bevy of whores to give him the time of day. "I want to place a request for more troops. 10 regiments should be sufficient. And have them send some medical supplies while you're at it".  
  
"Hmmm, I'm sorry, but that would be quite impossible", came the maddeningly nonchalant reply. "Since you've left, there has been a significant increase in the number of attacks on Mako reactors and other Shinra facilities in Midgar, Corel and Junon, to name but a few places. We've had to increase security around all our property in hope of deterring any further assaults, and as a result we need all the soldiers we can get. However, we anticipated that you might need some reinforcements, so we dispatched one of our First Class SOLDIER candidates about 3 days ago. He should be at your location by tomorrow, and hopefully he will provide you with all the assistance you require".  
  
"Just one!?". Sephiroth did not respond kindly to this news. He knew that Shinra could have easily dispatched 10 such SOLDIER candidates to help him, but they only sent one. Why? Were they testing him? "One SOLDIER candidate isn't going to help me, even if he is First Class".  
  
"Hmmph", Heidegger replied," You should be thankful. Unarmed, one First Class SOLDIER is equal to at least 30 infantrymen, 100 if he has the right weapon and materia. Side by side, you two should easily be able to defeat the advancing Wutai army".  
  
Sephiroth hung up. That was bullshit, and Heidegger knew it. True, he had volunteered to lead Shinra's forces against Wutai, but he knew he knew that Hojo had a vested income in the outcome of the war. Ever since the death of Professor Gast, Hojo had taken it upon himself to continue his research, and that entailed continuing the testing of Sephiroth. Sephiroth knew that Hojo wanted to see what he was really capable of, and he had a feeling that it was Hojo who persuaded Heidegger to dispatch only one SOLDIER to help him. With only one SOLDIER, Sephiroth would have to fight much harder than if there had been 10 to help him, thus giving him a chance to improve his skills. Just what Hojo wanted.  
  
Intelligent as Hojo was, he was far from wise, and Sephiroth hoped that this latest little experiment of his wouldn't get him killed. Himself, one First Class SOLDIER and the remainder of his troops against the Wutai army? The odds weren't in his favour. He just hoped that this SOLDIER they sent was good... 


	2. Preparation.

Chapter 2: Preparation.  
  
Sephiroth exited his tent the next morning, the Masamune Blade in hand. He drew in a long, hard breath and cast his view across the surrounding hills. Hundreds upon hundreds of tents, all belonging to soldiers from the Shinra army, dotted the landscape, offering false hope to the Commander. Over three-quarters of these tents were uninhabited, their occupants dead and buried. In reality, there were only roughly 300 combat-ready soldiers left in the camp.  
  
"Commander Sephiroth". He turned to acknowledge the source of the hail. A soldier marched towards him, stopped when he got to within a few feet, then stood to attention and saluted. "Reinforcements from Midgar have arrived, sir. This man claims to be from SOLDIER, a First Class recruit". He pointed to a man standing to his right. Even as he said it, Sephiroth could see the disappointment in the soldier's eyes, and he knew exactly what he was thinking. "What, only one man as back-up? We don't stand a chance". Nonetheless, Sephiroth returned his salute, and dismissed him, then turned to address the newly-arrived SOLDIER.  
  
He gave him the once-over. The recruit was tall and well-built, with unkempt hair nearly as black as Sephiroth's cloak, and the striking blue eyes which were the mark of SOLDIER- those infused with Mako all had the same eyes. He carried an enormous sword on his back, nearly as long as his body, and almost as wide. Before Sephiroth could address him however, the young recruit took the initiative.  
  
"First Class SOLDIER. Recruit Zack reporting for duty, sir".  
  
Sephiroth couldn't help but smile. His enthusiasm marked him a as a rookie, but he could tell that he had tremendous battle prowess, and he inwardly noted, "Hmmm, perhaps we're not all doomed after all".  
  
"At ease", Sephiroth said. Zack immediately quit his salute, and stood steadfastly with his hands behind his back. "I assume you've been briefed on our current position", Sephiroth questioned. When Zack nodded, Sephiroth continued. "The Wutai army outnumbers us by at least 3 to 1. Even with both of us contributing, our side would be hopelessly outmatched in battle, so as a result, the element of surprise is our only hope".  
  
He continued, "As we speak, our forces are mobilising for combat- they should be ready within the hour. We then plan to launch a tactical offensive which will hopefully take the Wutai forces unawares, thus allowing us to capture this region. I don't have to tell you that this area is of significant tactical interest, since Wutai itself is only a few dozen miles to the North".  
  
Zack nodded in acknowledgment. Sephiroth then beckoned for the recruit to follow him. "If you're going to be of any use, you'll need some materia". They entered his tent, and Sephiroth pried open a hefty wooden chest which was lying right inside the entrance. "Restore, Ice, and Lightning materia. There are a few others in there as well, but I recommend that you leave them alone, since they require a lot of experience to use correctly. I already have mine equipped, so take as many as you like. These infantrymen don't know how to use materia anyway".  
  
Sephiroth turned and left the tent, "I'll leave you to equip those", was all he said. Zack's attentions returned to the materia inside the chest. As a member of SOLDIER, he had previously equipped materia, but it had been mostly either Support or Command style, like HP Plus or Counter Attack, which was more of an instinctive materia than anything else. He had never used anything offensive like these before. "Hmph, there's no time like the present", he mused to himself, before reaching inside the chest and taking hold of the Restore materia in his right hand.  
  
He had gone through this process countless times before. Concentrating deeply on the materia in his hand, the surface of the orb began to fluctuate, taking on almost liquid properties as the colour grew lighter and lighter. It began to glow a brilliant white, and Zack was forced to turn his head away because of the sheer radiance of the glow. Within seconds the light faded and he was able to look at his hand once again. The orb had vanished, but he could feel it's power inside of him, providing him with it's magic, and charging him with previously unknown abilities. The feeling of Magic Materia was distinctly different from that of the materia he had previously equipped however. With HP Plus, it simply allowed him to take more damage in a fight- it wasn't something he had to wilfully use, it was just there. Same with Counter Attack, whenever he incurred a hit, he just felt an overwhelming urge to counter, no matter how weak he was at the time. Nothing too serious. With Magic materia it was different- he actually had to invoke the power it gave him. He was just glad that Sephiroth hadn't given him any Summon materia...  
He quickly repeated the process with the remaining orbs, then joined Sephiroth outside the tent.  
  
Later that day, the Shinra army, with Zack and Sephiroth at it's head, marched onwards towards Wutai, eventually reaching the peak of a mountain near the Da-Chou range. Sunlight bathed the valley in a warm, idyllic glow, giving off a sense of blissful serenity. The calm before the storm, Sephiroth realised. Still, he could not help but be swayed by the natural beauty of the region, although that was far from the predominant thought in his mind at present. They were close to Wutai, so close that the top of the Pagoda of the 5 Gods could be seen in the far reaches of the horizon. Sephiroth estimated that they were maybe 15 miles from the town- barely half a day's march, and that was what troubled him. Wutai's army should never have let them get this close- it put their city at risk. He knew they outnumbered his army, so why hadn't they already attacked and tried to push them as far away from home as possible?  
  
He stared intently at the two mountain ranges which ran towards Wutai at opposite sides of the valley. The valley itself was surrounded on 3 sides, and the only exit was straight in front of them, about 5 miles away. If Sephiroth ordered the army to enter the valley, they would be effectively trapped until they reached it. It had taken them hours to scale the mountain and reach this vantage point, even at their maximum speed. There was no way they would be able to climb out of the valley in time to escape a surprise assault- they would be forced to fight with their backs to the wall- a position no one was really comfortable fighting in. As soon as they entered the valley, the only way out was to reach that exit 5 miles away.  
  
It was a difficult decision. He could always bring the soldiers around the valley and take Wutai from the side, but that would take days. Another thought also came to him: what if the Wutai army was currently attempting to regroup, thinking that Shinra would never initiate an offensive so soon after the last battle? If that was true, then going around the valley might give them the necessary time to regroup and form a strategy, and actually work in their favour. Going through the valley would catch them unawares. Then again, if they were fully mobilised right now, then going through the valley would give them an advantage. After several moments passed, Sephiroth realised that he was prepared to take that chance...  
  
"Okay. We go through the valley.". Sephiroth's voice thundered through the ranks of Shinra's soldiers, and the message was gradually passed along until it reached those at the back. Zack, standing at Sephiroth's right hand, leaned over and spoke to him quietly. "Are you sure that's wise? I'm sure you realise that this would be the perfect place to spring a trap".  
Sephiroth merely smiled, and replied, "I know", then turned and entered the yawning crevasse… 


	3. Unfounded Suspicions?

Chapter 3: Unfounded Suspicion?  
  
  
After a swift descent, the entirety of the Shinra army was located in the southern end of the valley, the one furthest from the exit. Various soldiers muttered their discomfort at the situation- they weren't stupid, and they realised the serious disadvantage they would be at lest the enemy decided to attack. Nonetheless, when Sephiroth gave an order they did not hesitate to obey, largely due to the equal amounts of fear and respect they held for the man, and they continued to march forward. Scouts were commissioned to keep an eye on the walls of the valley, searching for signs of any possible threat. The army moved as quickly as humanly possible- no one wanted to be in the valley any longer then was absolutely necessary. Within two hours, the grainy twilight was fast disappearing as darkness began to set it. They had reached the point of no return.  
  
It happened gradually. Soldiers near the back began to notice that they were a lot closer to the end of the group than when they had entered the valley. After a few quizzical glances, someone eventually realised that there were less of them than there was 15 minutes ago. One soldier distinctly recalled that he had been in the fourth-last line from the back, and now he was in the second-last. What had happened to the other two lines? For the next 5 minutes he continued to glance back regularly, attempting to make some sense of what was happening, much to the irritation of the soldiers who were in what had become the rear of the pack. From the looks on their faces, they weren't even aware that something was amiss, and they angrily ordered the soldier to quit bothering them, eventually jabbing him with the butt of their rifles as a deterrent. He could hear them poking fun at him with derogatory comments for several seconds afterwards, followed by bouts of laughter.   
  
Then, suddenly and without warning, the laughter stopped. He started to turn around and see exactly what was happening, but the thought of another jab with a rifle butt caused him to stop and face forward. Before he could even focus his attention on the soldier marching in front of him, someone wrapped a gloved hand around his mouth, stifling any possible sounds he might have made. He began to protest loudly, but all that came out was a low muffled mumble. The soldier in front of him gave no indication that he heard. He continued to cry for help for what seemed like hours, only the barest fraction of a second in reality. His calls for assistance soon stopped when he felt a sudden stabbing pain in his abdomen, which almost immediately escalated to excruciating agony. Looking downwards as best as he could, he saw a long blood-covered blade protruding from his midsection. Even as he began to lose consciousness, he desperately tried to turn his head to see just who had done this to him, but his strength was fading fast, and his assailant's grip was extremely strong, so he could only manage to get a glimpse of black material. He could also see that what happened to him was also happening to everyone else in his marching line, as they were silently subdued in the same manner by several black-clad individuals. His last thoughts were of warning his fellow soldiers, but his wound was too severe, his blood loss too great, and he soon succumbed to the yawning darkness that awaited him.  
  
At the head of the army, Sephiroth stopped. His peripheral senses were significantly better than those of normal humans, and mere moments ago he had heard something which sounded suspiciously like a footfall. The footfall of someone who is trying to get somewhere silently is notably different from that of someone walking normally, certainly different from that of an army on the march. Because of this, he was sure it did not belong to any of his men. He was actually surprised at himself for being able to hear such a slight noise over the sound of the soldiers' ungainly stomping, but then, this was why Hojo had wanted him to enter combat situations in the first place- to see just what he was capable of. He turned and stared back over the heads of the Shinra army, which had halted it's march the moment their leader stopped. He quickly counted- there were 12 marching lines, each with at least 20 men in them but, wasn't there supposed to be more than that? He tried to remember how many lines there had been when they had entered the valley, but his calculations were interrupted when he picked up the sound of the silent footfalls again.  
  
Now that the army had stopped he could hear them clearer than ever- they were all around him, and the Shinra army for that matter. Silently he cursed under his breath. How could he have been so careless? Now they were surrounded by someone or something unknown, which clearly did not want to be discovered. They didn't sound human- they were so quiet, as quiet as gently falling rain, or a pleasant summer breeze. Sephiroth honestly didn't think that humans could be so stealthy. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye he spotted a flash of movement, and one of the Shinra soldiers fell lifelessly to the ground. It happened again, this time on the other side of the group. Quickly, Sephiroth noted the position of the two dead soldiers. "Whatever they are, there must be more than one of them. No one could move between those two men in such a short period of time". A third man dropped to the ground, dead, but this time Sephiroth saw something else, something which had briefly caught the light of the full moon. He saw the unmistakeable flash of a blade.  
  
He unsheathed the Masamune in one deft, fluid motion. In that instant, he knew what they were dealing with, and a look of murderous fury crossed his face.  
"Ninjas", he hissed. 


	4. Chaos in the Land of the Dragon.

Chapter 4: Chaos in the Land of the Dragon.  
  
  
All eyes were on Sephiroth. Ever since they had stopped, all he had done was constantly jerk his head around as if he were trying to follow something. Zack and the infantrymen were growing uncomfortable- they couldn't see anything out of the ordinary, but the sight of Sephiroth acting so agitated was enough to create a sense of tension in their ranks. Then he had drawn his sword, causing the soldiers in the front lines to warily step backwards out of his range. After all, who knew what was going through his mind at the moment? He might decide to turn his attentions to them if they did anything to provoke him. As second-in-command, Zack took it upon himself to step forward and enquire if anything was wrong.  
"Commander Sephiroth. Is everything all right?".  
  
Sephiroth turned to face him, his blue eyes blazing with fire. Twisting the Masamune in his grip, he brought it upwards towards Zack's head in a murderous arc. The young SOLDIER reacted the only way he knew how- quickly and efficiently. Ducking and throwing himself to the side at the same time, he managed to avoid the sword's path, barely. The blade whistled past his ear, and embedded itself in something behind him just as he fell to the ground. Quickly picking himself up, he turned to Sephiroth and brandished the Buster Sword in his face. "What the hell do you think you're doing!?! Goddamn idiot!". He later realised just how foolish this was- after all, Sephiroth could have killed him in an instant if he so wished, and yelling at him certainly wouldn't have helped matters if that were really the case. Luckily for him, Sephiroth did not respond, as he simply stared past him at the target his sword had connected with. Seeing this, Zack eased himself around to get a better view, still keeping one eye on Sephiroth lest he attempt another surprise strike. What he saw was an individual clad entirely in black- even his face was obscured by a heavy mask. Sephiroth's Masamune had caught him in the chest, and the abnormally long blade had pushed itself right through his chest cavity, exiting on the other side of his ravaged body. Blood dripped steadily through his mask- one of his lungs had been pierced, leaking blood into his windpipe, and Zack could tell that he was beyond any medical help at this point. He also noted the katana in his hand, raised above his head in an offensive motion. Zack immediately realised that if Sephiroth hadn't stabbed him, the unknown individual would have killed him. This knowledge jerked him back to reality, and he realised that his would-be assailant would certainly not be alone.  
  
At this point the soldiers awakened to the threat around them, quickly assembling themselves in a dual defensive/ offensive position. Forming a rough concentric circle, they covered each other's backs while keeping their rifles trained on the outside of the perimeter, ready to open fire on anything that looked even remotely hostile. Rifles sprayed bullets from various points around the circle, and Sephiroth noted the deaths of several of the Wutai ninja. He was silently impressed. The soldiers may have been scared, but they were still excellent marksmen. He was interrupted mid-thought, however, as a dozen of the black-clad warriors appeared as if from nowhere, and bore down on him and Zack with inhuman speed.  
  
Zack himself was quick to spot the oncoming threat, and responded in kind, eviscerating the nearest ninja with a swipe from his Buster Sword. A second ninja leapt overhead, flinging a succession of shuriken at the young soldier, but with yet another quick manoeuvre of the Sword, the projectiles fell harmlessly into two pieces, and the ninja was dead before he even hit the ground. Within seconds, 4 more of Wutai's warriors were struck down by Zack's expert swordsmanship. The immediate threat gone, he turned and prepared to assist Sephiroth, and what he saw behind him, he would remember for the rest of his life...  
  
As a recruit in SOLDIER, Zack had heard countless tales about Sephiroth's unfathomable power, his legendary strength, but he could honestly say that nothing he had ever heard could have prepared him for the carnage which lay before him at that very moment.  
  
  
Sephiroth was surrounded by about 20 of the Wutai ninja- an unfair match, but not in the way that one would originally think. Even if there had been twice as many, they still would have been hopelessly outclassed. He raised the Masamune above his head, and it flashed in the pure white light of the moon. The ninja pressed forward regardless, and were met with cold, hard steel. Sephiroth swung repeatedly with inhuman speed, slashing like lightning over and over again. What warriors were left alive soon began to stumble backwards, trying in vain to escape from this floundering human that had suddenly turned into a ferocious beast. Sephiroth pressed forward, showing no signs of slowing or fatigue, swinging the sword as if possessed by a demon. Screams of agony echoed through the valley as the Wutai ninja were savagely cut down. Several of them thrashed around in their death throes as Sephiroth kicked them aside. Within minutes, not a single one of them remained alive.  
  
Sephiroth stopped and looked around, almost as if in a daze. Both he and the Masamune were heavily stained with a slick red coat of blood. It seemed to take him a long time to realise that there were no more enemies left to fight.  
  
Zack approached him with caution. He wasn't sure if Sephiroth could distinguish between friend and foe at this point, and he had no intention of suffering the same fate as the unfortunate men of Wutai. Edging slowly in his direction, he kept one hand near the hilt of his Buster Sword, ready to draw it should the need arise. Needless to say, he was extremely relieved when Sephiroth turned to face him with a look of recognition in his eyes, before sheathing the Masamune. Wiping the blood from his face, he roared an order to the nearby soldiers, "This way! Quickly!". Looking at Zack, he added, "You too."  
  
The infantrymen were only too glad to turn and leave the valley, and hurriedly began scrambling clumsily up the mountainside. Arrows suddenly fired as if from nowhere out of the darkness and rained down on the retreating army, felling most of the soldiers near the back of the pack. At this point, everyone realised that Wutai's ninja's- their stealth assassins, had merely been the first wave of a continuous assault. They had been sent to thin out their ranks in preparation for the final battle. In other words, the Wutai army had been aware of them from the very beginning. The Midgar soldiers turned and released a burst of rifle fire, causing numerous straggled cries to echo through the valley. Arrows and bullets rended the air as the two armies exchanged their deadly blows.  
  
Zack had no gun- he was a sword specialist, and as such he was never trained to use one. But, he smiled to himself, he something even better. It took him a few seconds to recall the materia he had equipped at the camp earlier in the day, and it was crucial that he got it right. If he concentrated on using Fire, but didn't have the corresponding orb equipped, all he would do is succeed in wasting his time, as well as give himself a righteous headache. It was surprisingly hard to remember in the heat of battle, but he vaguely recalled acquiring a Lightning orb. Sheathing his sword, he focused on his training back in Midgar, with SOLDIER, and gathered his energy for the most powerful spell he could extract from the materia. He could instinctively feel it's power deep inside him, and began using all his willpower to draw the magic to the surface.  
  
"Bolt", he repeated inwardly, as the energy began to coruscate and build. He felt a terrible pressure build up behind his eyes, and a fantastic electrical current danced through his central nervous system. Opening his eyes, he raised a gloved hand in the direction the arrows originated from, and yelled "Bolt3!".  
  
For 5 miles around the night sky turned a mesmerizing white as Zack's immense power began to grow. Light radiated and energy crackled from his body, as his eyes shone with an even brighter blue glow than usual. Darkness lifted from the battlefield, revealing the exact location and number of the Wutai army. Sephiroth estimated them to number at almost one thousand men, all of whom had managed to enter the valley without detection. He was impressed at their obvious skill, but not as impressed as he was at the young SOLDIER candidate who stood not too far away from him, and the apparent ease with which he handled the magic of the materia. The magic had apparently reached it's absolute apex, meaning the spell would be discharged any time now...  
  
Sure enough, as soon as the very thought had entered his mind, Zack released the sheer enormity of the materia's magic. Liquid lightning leaped from his body and arched towards the Wutai army, briefly illuminating the horrified look on their faces before it impacted, shattering the valley's walls in an incredible impact. Dust clouds washed over Zack and Sephiroth, momentarily obscuring their view of the destruction right before their eyes. When the smoke cleared, it became clear that nearly half the Wutai army had been incinerated in the attack, and many more had been burned beyond recognition. Those near the far end of the valley, however, had been left relatively unscathed, and quickly charged at the young man responsible for the death of their comrades.  
  
Midgar's soldiers met them half way, using their bayonets to counter the enemies' razor-sharp swords. Flesh was torn, and limbs were lost as the two forces clashed in what would probably be their final battle. Zack and Sephiroth entered the fray, swinging madly and with inhuman precision, cutting down 10 Wutai soldiers in half as many seconds. He roared with laughter as the Masamune wreaked havoc all around him, piercing through even the heavy armour worn by the enemy soldiers. Zack took the fight more seriously- he was only a trainee after all, and there was no way he could afford to be careless.  
  
The young SOLDIER's lack of experience soon took it's toll as his concentration wavered, allowing a Wutai swordsman to manoeuvre behind him. With an expert flick of his katana, he sliced a long wound along the back of Zack's legs, sending him crashing to the ground. Quickly rolling over onto his back, Zack was able to catch a glimpse of his assailant- a Wutai soldier barely older than himself, his face contorted in rage. When he spoke, he spat the words out with disgust, "Bastard! You killed my friend!!" Bringing the katana above his head, he began the downwards motion which would have ended Zack's life. Unfortunately for him he never got that opportunity, as a Midgar soldier tackled him from the side, causing him to lose his footing and tumble earthwards. Infuriated, he rose to his feet and screamed, "Shinra scum! Get off me!". Ducking and re-acquiring a grip on his katana, he took a clumsy swipe at the infantryman's face. The Midgar soldier blocked with remarkable speed, using his rifle to deflect the blow. The gun was no match for the sharpened sword, however, and it fell into two halves, leaving the soldier defenceless against the swordsman's next attack.  
  
On the ground below them, Zack extended his arm and grabbed the Buster Sword from where it had fell. Getting to his feet despite the immense pain shooting through his legs, he tapped the swordsman on the back with the tip. The young Wutai officer turned his head around, only to be met by the cold stare of Zack's mako eyes. A look of disbelief crossed his face, as Zack simply muttered, "I'm sorry". The swordsman's head hit the round as the Buster Sword neatly severed it from the neck.  
  
Completely spent, Zack toppled forward, kicking up a cloud of red dust as his body hit the ground. It had taken all his remaining strength to eliminate the Wutai swordsman, and now, no matter how hard he tried, he could not persuade his battered legs to carry his full weight. Despite the protests his weary muscles were giving, he reached down and ran a hand across the one of the long gashes to the back of his left leg. His hand came away covered in a sticky crimson liquid. The edge of his vision was cloudy and flecked with a dull red colour, but out of the corner of his eye he could see Sephiroth whirling like a dervish, his long black cloak whipping around him like an aura of death. That was the last thing he remembered before he lost consciousness... 


	5. A Knight of the Word.

Epilogue: A Knight of the Word.  
  
  
  
Pain. That was what awakened him. He jerked his eyes open and bolted upright, expecting to be surrounded by a legion of the enemy soldiers. Surprisingly, the only soldier he could see was one of their own- a Midgar infantryman. Scanning his surroundings, he immediately realised where he was- one of the medical tents back at the Shinra encampment. His was only one in a vast row of beds, each filled with a wounded occupant. He turned to the soldier standing at the foot of his bed, trying to piece together just how he had made it all the way back to camp. The soldier took the initiative, however, and gestured towards the direction of the battlefield with a wave of his hand. "Glad to see you're feeling better. It took me a while to carry you back here, but then I wasn't gonna just leave you there after it caused me so much trouble to save your ass in the first place".  
  
Zack looked at him quizzically, until finally a look of realisation crossed his face. "You're the one who helped me fight the samurai, right?". The soldier nodded an answer, his face still covered with the heavy helmet of the Shinra uniform. "Yeah, that's me", he confirmed, "But let's just call it even for now. After all, you pretty much saved me after I lost my weapon. Consider the debt repaid in full". Zack acknowledged this with a nod of his own, before posing the all-important question. "So, did we win?".  
  
The soldier couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, we won. After you flash-fried most of their army, the odds were pretty much in our favour. Sephiroth took care of the rest, then we marched on to the main city of Wutai. They were basically defenceless, since the entire army had been dispatched to take care of us, so we captured it with a minimum of bloodshed. Oh, and get this, as soon as they heard that Wutai had been annexed, the Shinra execs sent as many troops as possible to help establish dominance in the area. What a time to send reinforcements, eh? The moment the battle ends..."  
  
"Yeah, that sounds just like them, all right", Zack muttered, " I'll bet that Sephiroth was pleased that his first command mission was a success though".  
  
"I think so. Although last I heard, he was pretty damn annoyed that after all the trouble we went to capture this place, all the President is gonna do is set up some kind of trade and development restrictions. You'd almost think that..."  
  
At that moment, Kazuyuki, the encampment doctor, entered the tent holding a clipboard, and immediately made his way to Zack's bed. He looked less that pleased that he was halfway out of bed, and quickly ushered the soldier aside, as he barked away in his clipped Mideel accent. "This young man has suffered serious lacerations to his calf and thigh muscles. It's a miracle he didn't bleed to death out there in that hellhole, but right now he needs to rest. I'll have to ask you to come back later". The soldier conceded and backed away, but Zack quickly called after him. "Wait a minute. I want to know the name of the man who saved my life".  
  
The soldier stopped and turned, before removing the metallic helmet he had worn up to this point. A shock of unruly blond hair fell out, and as soon as Zack saw his face, he could barely contain his surprise. The soldier couldn't have been more than 16 years old. Nonetheless, he extended his hand to the young man. "My name is Zack, of Gongaga. If you're ever in trouble, I'll be more than willing to fight in your corner".  
  
The soldier smiled, and shook hands. "Thanks friend. It's nice to know I can count on your help if I'm ever in a tough situation. My name is Cloud. Cloud Strife, of Nibelheim. Nice to meet you..."  
  
  
  
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Author's Notes:  
  
Well, sin Ã©.  
  
Now, just to clarify a few things. It has been pointed out quite a few times how unlikely it is that Cloud and Zack would have been on the Shinra Army at this particular point in time, but in my opinion, it could have happened.  
  
The way I see it, the Shinra/ Wutai battle would have marked the very end of the war, which would have meant that Cloud and Zack could conceivably have taken part. They would have been extremely new recruits, and even though Cloud himself said that the war was over by the time he made it into SOLDIER, keep in mind that he actually never was in SOLDIER, so a lot of the remarks he made about his past could be seen as unreliable.  
  
In this fic, they are both new, very young recruits, and this probably would have been their first battle... 


End file.
